Right Under Your Nose
by Keely Greenley
Summary: (Takes place after OotP, Arthur Weasley--this does NOT happen in the book--dies at the hands of the Death Eaters) Molly Weasley discovers the beginnings of a powerful, but unlikely, love and friendship.
1. Flying Plates and Painful Memories

Disclaimer: I wish that I came up with the idea for Harry Potter and wrote all of the books, but unfortunately, I am only a huge fan. Thanks to J.K. Rowling for penning this fantastic series.  
  
Sirius Black leaned backward in his chair, tipping its front legs off the ground.. Molly Weasley eyed him with an exasperated look on her face. "You're going to fall off of that thing, Sirius," she said and rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. With a flick of her wand, Molly sent the plate that had been home to a ham and cheese sandwich just seconds before, flying into the kitchen at Grimmauld Place. "You'd think that you might be civilized enough to clean up after yourself."  
  
Sirius smirked playfully. He always liked to get a rise out of Molly Weasley, since she always expressed such public dislike for him. Her husband, Arthur, had been killed one year ago during the battle with Death Eaters at the Ministry of Magic. Arthur had sacrificed his life for Harry Potter's, and he was remembered by all of the wizarding world as a hero. Molly had never fully recovered from the death of her beloved husband, and the Weasley clan was not the same. Voldemort was still yet to be defeated, and his supporters were increasing by the day. The Order of the Phoenix was assembled as tightly as ever and maintained their headquarters at Grimmauld Place in London, former home of the Black family. With Ginny and Ron at Hogwarts, Fred and George living in London as very successful mischief shop entrepreneurs and Bill and Charlie both wrapped up in their respective jobs, Molly Weasley did not find the Burrow a comfortable place to be. Percy had not attended his father's funeral, nor had he kept in contact with any members of his family. The Order of the Phoenix feared that Percy had been swayed to the side of Lord Voldemort, as increasing evidence suggested that he was in cahoots with some of the most notorious Death Eaters, Lucius Malfoy included. Molly now lived at Grimmauld Place with Remus Lupin and Sirius Black, while keeping up the Burrow when she could bear it. It was full of Arthur, and she could only manage being there for a half an hour before breaking down uncontrollably. She disguised her pain and the real reasons why she could not bear to live at Burrow while the children were away by telling the other members of the Order that it was for the interest of their efforts that she maintained Grimmauld Place and remained there at all times to be in a contact post. No one questioned her or objected to her wishes, even though Lupin and Sirius already lived there and were available in the case of an emergency.  
  
"Honestly, Sirius," Molly began again. "You act like an overgrown child." Sirius continued to smile. She liked to take chides at him, but Sirius did not mind. He found Molly to be humorous even when she intended not to be, and he had developed a certain affinity for her. She was a fantastic mother and had been an exceptional wife. Sirius certainly felt that Arthur was, had been, a very lucky man. Molly was also an extraordinary member of the Order of the Phoenix. She mothered all of its members and worked hard to keep spirits up and friendships strong. Sirius thought that without her at Grimmauld Place, it would be very lonely and lifeless indeed.  
  
Molly sighed as she flicked her wand once more to retrieve dirty plates, cups and bowls from around the room. Silverware was no where in sight, since Sirius ate, in Molly's view, much as the dog that he literally was. She sighed again and rolled her eyes just to add some extra emphasis to her disgust with Sirius' lazy living habits. The playful smile remained on his face.  
  
Wooosh! A jet of light shot out from Sirius's wand and each of the items that Molly had sent into the kitchen were now animatedly flying around the house! Lupin came down the stairs as a cup whipped past his head, "What in Merlin's name." he remarked as a plate chased the house elf Kreacher into the basement.  
  
"SIRIUS!" scolded Molly in a voice that would've frozen even the most notorious pranksters, Fred and George Weasley, in fear. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" With a very violent flick of her wand, Molly had stopped all of the dinnerware from its flying parade around the house and set it all upon Sirius, in a surprise attack. Sirius laughed as he fought off dirty bowls, cups and plates, while Molly's face fumed in a crimson color and imaginary smoke rose from her ears. She walked into the kitchen and left Lupin to rescue the now hysterically laughing Sirius from the attack of dirty dishes.  
  
"I don't know why you have to constantly push her buttons," Lupin said as he took it upon himself to finish the cleaning that Molly had started. Sirius's laughter was dying down, but he still had his trademark mischievous smirk on his face. "It's fun to get a rise out of her, that's all," he said.  
  
"She's going through enough, Sirius. Molly doesn't need to deal with you getting into rows with her all of the time, too." Lupin flew the dishes into the kitchen and made sure that they began immediately cleaning themselves so that Molly would not have to be bothered.  
  
Sirius's eyes lost their playful glimmer. "I know what she's going through, Lupin. We both do," he said as he looked up at his lifelong friend. Lupin nodded in agreement. The friends knew all too well the pain of losing a loved one. James and Lily Potter had been gone for about seventeen years now, but the pain of their deaths was still fresh in both the hearts and minds of Sirius and Lupin. Lupin knew that Sirius did not mean to hurt Molly with his playful teasing, but neither him nor Sirius knew exactly what it felt like to lose someone to whom you had devoted your entire life and every action to. Arthur was Molly's husband, and they had pledged their eternal love to only one another. The Marauders had been best friends, the kind of friends that only destiny allows. They were closer than human ties could bind, which is why even after James' passing Sirius and Lupin could still feel him alive inside of both of them and, of course, in Harry. But neither had ever lost a lover, a spouse, to death. Neither had ever lost someone with whom they had shared children and a deeply committed, bonded life. Molly Weasley had been stripped of all of her dreams, the life that she had expected to lead to a very old age with Arthur and their children. Now she was left alone, while her children were out living their lives and dealing with the deal of their father in the presence of friends. Molly lived in Grimmauld Place with Sirius and Lupin, feeling most of the time as if no one really lived there at all but her and her relentless grief.  
  
Sirius's expression had become sullen, and Lupin noticed that he no longer possessed his characteristic happy-go-lucky demeanor. "You all right, Padfoot?" Lupin asked. He had not meant to make Sirius feel bad for goading Molly. "Yeah, yeah, Moony. I'm fine. Just a little tired. I gotta check on Buckbeak," Sirius replied. Lupin could detect a trace of sorrow and shame in Sirius's voice. 


	2. It Begins

Disclaimer: I wish that I came up with the idea for Harry Potter and wrote all of the books, but unfortunately, I am only a huge fan. Thanks to J.K. Rowling for penning this fantastic series.  
  
She traced the pattern in his tie over and over with her fingers. It still smelled of him. How Arthur loved those silly Muggle things, Molly Weasley sighed as tears began welling up in the corners of her eyes. She pushed the tie away harshly, and then feeling bad for treating it so poorly, carefully scooped it up and laid it in the dresser drawer with some of his other strange Muggle things. Molly couldn't understand why anyone would want to wear such a silly little piece of fabric around their neck and found it rather ugly; however, Arthur was infatuated with such things. Inside the drawer next to the tie were more ties, even some with strange cartoon characters on them that Molly had never seen before in her life, a pair of toe-nail clippers, a mechanical pencil, which Molly did not understand how to use, and some Muggle medication called Advil, which once turned Arthur green with one use. His affinity for these non-magical objects made Molly smile. He really was a humble, kind and generous man. The poor enchanted Ford Anglia, which was now living off in the dark forest according to Ron and Harry, was just one of her husband's woebegone attempts to bring these Muggle "artifacts" to life. Molly smiled as she remembered the time that Arthur sneakily bewitched what Muggles liked to call a "lawnmower" to shave Arthur loves Molly in the yard of the Burrow when they first bought it.  
  
Tears were coming in forceful rivers from her eyes now, and Molly sat down on the edge of the bed. She had been in this room alone for far too many nights for her liking. It had been one year since her beloved Arthur passed away, and she still longed for his touch in the cold, uncertain nights. These were the times that she needed his comfort, his reassurance, and his love most. Voldemort was getting stronger than ever, and he was assembling the most massive following of Death Eaters that the wizarding world had ever seen. There were attacks each day, and the Order of the Phoenix was doing what it could to maintain order. But, for Molly, it was so hard going on with their mission without the one person who was always there by her side.  
  
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"So without a credible witness, the Ministry can't just lock up Fauslof." Remus Lupin's eyes were unblinking. He had gone long without sleep these past few weeks, and with the full moon just around the corner he was restless than ever. Lupin was actually looking forward to the slight release from the actual world around him that his transformation would give him. Witnessing the death and havoc this past year was wearing him thin.  
  
"Bloody hell," Sirius Black groaned angrily. His temper was flaring inside of his chest. The Death Eaters were elusive; none had yet to be caught red-handed or named for what they truly were. Everid Fauslof, a notorious ally of Lucius Malfoy and fellow Death Eater, had just killed three Muggles the night before. Sirius was sure of it, but apparently no one had been around to witness the crime. According to The Daily Prophet, a family of three Muggles, two parents and one small boy, had been thrown from the side of a road in their car, which had smashed beyond recollection in a ditch. The wizarding world could tell that this was the act of a dark wizard, because it had happened before. Needless and cruel attacks on Muggles were the staple of a Death Eater. They had no remorse for killing magical folk, but it was a joy, a past-time or recreation, of theirs to taunt Muggles and send them to their deaths. If Arthur were alive today, he would go after Fauslof himself, thought Sirius. He had been thinking about Arthur a lot lately. Sirius felt it shameful to admit, but he found himself making comparisons between himself and Arthur Weasley quite frequently. Arthur was a kind, giving, and loyal man, whose love for his family, friends, fellow wizards, and even Muggles, never faltered. Sirius now recognized the good in Arthur and wished that he had appreciated him more when he was alive, before he had been murdered. For Sirius, the words "death" and "murder" had been part of his vocabulary for too long, since the hideous murders of James and Lily Potter. He had no trouble convincing himself that Arthur was really gone or struggling with the concept of death, since he had experienced it all too painfully before. But, he still could not elude the pain that he felt whenever he saw Molly Weasley. He had been playful with her, yes, and had enjoyed her comical, yet often angry, reactions to his mischievous antics and what some people would call "immature" ways, but he had never wanted to hurt her. What Lupin had said the night before about not giving Molly such a hard time had been right. Sirius had never felt so ashamed about how he treated another person in his entire life. Lupin must have picked up the distressed look on Sirius's face, but he did not know the real truth behind his moodiness. "Sirius, I know why this Muggle murder bothers you so much." Lupin was quiet for a minute. "It bothers me, too. For the same reasons. The Muggle parents were the same age as Lily and James were." Lupin pursed his lips. He had never let go of the pain of their passing, either, although he was much more vocal about it and willing to work through it than Sirius. "And the boy was just about Harry's age. when it happened to him." Lupin's light eyes looked anguished as he reflected on the horrific murder of the innocent and unsuspecting Muggle family the previous night. "But the Order, all of us," Lupin continued, "are going to stop this from happening ever again. We'll do it, Sirius. We will." Sirius looked up. His dark eyes scanned Lupin's face. So this is my old friend, Moony, he thought. Sirius still saw Lupin as the young boy that he was when the Marauders had all met at Hogwarts and began their infamous reign of fun and hijinks as students there. But now, after all of this time and all that has happened in both of their lives, Sirius saw Lupin as the strong man that he was. He had persevered through everything and never lost his faith and hope in goodness or his child-like innocence. For these things, Sirius was grateful. "I know, Moony," Sirius began, as he looked back down at the kitchen table as his enchanted stirrer began turning milky swirls inside of his coffee cup. "It's just that this bastard Fauslof has got to pay. This has gone on for far too long." For the first time in a long time, Sirius felt a knot forming in his throat. "Too many people are losing who is important to them." Lupin eyed Sirius strangely. He thought that he could detect the trace of something else in his voice. "What do you mean, Sirius?" he asked carefully but concerned. Molly, Sirius thought to himself. The knot in his throat got tighter and he clamped his hands together underneath the table. The enchanted stirrer stopped turning and fell with a thud on the hardwood table. "I've gotta talk to Harry," Sirius said quietly and abruptly. He started to get up from the table. Lupin's brow furrowed. "Padfoot, you can't. Not now. It's too risky for the both of you. You know that the fireplaces at Hogwarts are being watched." Sirius pushed his hand irritably through his shiny, black hair. Lupin could sense his agitation. The knot in Sirius's throat was about to explode. "I'm not just gonna sit here and let them destroy people," Sirius said in a cold voice as he reached for his wand. Lupin's eyes grew wide in fear of what his beloved friend might do. He could not lose him again, not after Azkaban and all of those years. "It can't happen this way, Sirius," Lupin said calmly, trying to ease his friend out of his overwhelming fury and frustration. "You can't do this alone, and you can't do this now." "YOU BETTER BLOODY BELIEVE THAT I CAN!" yelled Sirius, fuming and feeling as though the knot in his throat was strangling him. His head was ablaze in thoughts of Lily and James, the Muggle family who had just been murdered, of Harry and his friends. and of Molly Weasley and her children. "Sirius," came a soft voice from the top of the steps. Lupin turned toward the staircase. "Put it down," the soft voice coaxed. Sirius felt himself starting to lose control to his pain as he dropped his wand to the floor. Molly, her face awash in tears, slowly descended the stairs. Lupin watched her as she walked toward Sirius and lightly touched his forearm. She looked up at him, eyes brimming with tears. "Not this way," she gently and sorrowfully whispered to Sirius, whose downtrodden face was looking down at hers. Lupin remained silent. "Please, Sirius. Not this way." Molly inhaled the tears that were beginning to fall down her face. Sirius wanted to reach out and touch her, but he could not. "Please," she whispered again, in a voice muffled with loss and the choke of never-ending tears. "It's not what Arthur would have wanted." 


End file.
